This topic rides hand in hand with
a previous blog : Open Mindedness. I won’t get into that now.
What is a “positive skeptic”? It
means you are a lover of the truth, but you don’t spend your time trying to
disprove everything. Let me explain.
I used to think being skeptical meant being cynical, or critical. But this is not true. Skepticism is simply not assuming that you know everything.
We’ve all had those moments where the science teacher states: “One hundred bajillion
Earths could fit inside of the Sun.” Wow!
That’s a lot! Wait a second…is that even a real number? Your first instinct
might lean toward agreeing. Often times we accept information as uncensored
truth, and this is hardly the case. Even the well meaning geology instructor
could have misinterpreted an article or blurb on the internet.
As people, we often tell others
what we “know” to be true. We say it with zest and enthusiasm, and they believe
us. Later we may find we were incorrect! Albert Mehrabian’s “7% - 38% - 55%
rule” tells us that only 7% of our communication is based on the content of
what we say. The other 93% is body language and tone. Essentially, this means
we are susceptible to trust people based on things that can have nothing to do with what they are actually saying. This is something we must be on our
toes about. I don’t mean to call people liars, not at all. I want you to be
aware that there are other things going on in your mind when you choose to
accept news.
If you honestly enjoy knowing real
data, hard facts, and general truth, then you will keep an open mind and a
skeptical heart. Going out of your way to be a devil’s advocate is NOT being
skeptical, only pessimistic. Also avoid researching a subject to get confirmation. If you want to find out if
the president is a liar, don’t Google search “Barack Obama lies.” You will
obviously find what you are looking for, truth or not.
Yours Truly,
Matthew L.
Next Blog Preview: Why Gen Y Rules The World by Jim M.
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